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Daniel

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Jun 27, 2017
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Cottonwood Heights, Utah
My hike on Sunday began at Our Lady of the Snows, the small Catholic Church located at Alta. From there I made my way to Grizzly Gulch and took it all the way up to Twin Lakes Pass. I then contoured around the backside of Honeycomb Cliffs over to Solitude, entering at the spot where patrol sets up the Highway to Heaven gate during ski/snowboard season. Before beginning the climb up to Fantasy Ridge, I walked over to the head of Honeycomb Canyon and snapped a couple photos of some of the terrain accessed by those who ascend Honeycomb Cliffs.

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The high point slightly right of center is Black Bess Peak (10,479').

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In the center of the photo is Honeycomb Peak (10,488'), the highest elevation spot on Fantasy Ridge and at Solitude Mountain Resort.

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Looking down Honeycomb Canyon from Fantasy Ridge. Once on the ridge, I could see the upper portion of the new RACS (Remote Avalanche Control System) tower situated above what I estimated to be the Prince of Wales and Boundary Chutes ski terrain and began heading along the ridgeline in that direction.
 

Daniel

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Jun 27, 2017
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529
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Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Sticking with the sealed-off mine shaft entrances and mining relics theme and skipping ahead of the portion of my hike down Fantasy Ridge, here are some photos from the Prince of Wales mine in Silver Fork, BCC. I descended to the mine from Fantasy Ridge/Honeycomb Cliffs while on my way to the trail that contours along Cottonwood Ridge. Silver, gold, copper, zinc, and lead were extracted from the Prince of Wales mine and I believe mining commenced in 1870.

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Both entrances to the mine were sealed off in the late 80s during one of many Bureau of Mines initiatives, if my memory serves me right, along with dozens and dozens of other mine entrances in the Wasatch. As of 2018, more than 11,000 mine entrances in Utah had been sealed off from the public (out of more than 17,000 documented statewide). During the decades leading up to the start of the Bureau of Mines initiatives and continuing today, numerous deaths have resulted from long falls, cave-ins, and explorers succumbing to poisonous air within old abandoned mines. Deep, remote mine shafts have also been used as a final resting place for murder victims, including two very high-profile cases that occurred along the Wasatch Front in the past dozen or so years. Off the top of my head, body recoveries and rescues from mine shafts of backcountry skiers and snowboarders, inbounds skiers (both at Deer Valley during its early years), dirt bikers, ATV and UTV riders, an equestrian, and someone four wheeling in a Jeep have occurred in various locations around Utah during my 38 years residing here.

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Mining relics located between the two Prince of Wales mine entrances.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Sticking with the sealed-off mine shaft entrances and mining relics theme and skipping ahead of the portion of my hike down Fantasy Ridge, here are some photos from the Prince of Wales mine in Silver Fork, BCC. I descended to the mine from Fantasy Ridge/Honeycomb Cliffs while on my way to the trail that contours along Cottonwood Ridge. Silver, gold, copper, zinc, and lead were extracted from the Prince of Wales mine and I believe mining commenced in 1870.

View attachment 178670

View attachment 178673

Both entrances to the mine were sealed off in the late 80s during one of many Bureau of Mines initiatives, if my memory serves me right, along with dozens and dozens of other mine entrances in the Wasatch. As of 2018, more than 11,000 mine entrances in Utah had been sealed off from the public (out of more than 17,000 documented statewide). During the decades leading up to the start of the Bureau of Mines initiatives and continuing today, numerous deaths have resulted from long falls, cave-ins, and explorers succumbing to poisonous air within old abandoned mines. Deep, remote mine shafts have also been used as a final resting place for murder victims, including two very high-profile cases that occurred along the Wasatch Front in the past dozen or so years. Off the top of my head, body recoveries and rescues from mine shafts of backcountry skiers and snowboarders, inbounds skiers (both at Deer Valley during its early years), dirt bikers, ATV and UTV riders, an equestrian, and someone four wheeling in a Jeep have occurred in various locations around Utah during my 38 years residing here.

View attachment 178677

View attachment 178678

Mining relics located between the two Prince of Wales mine entrances.
Nevada does the same with the grates. The bats come and go as they please. Nevada has hundreds of unsecured mines. As long as there's a fence around it with a warning sign they pass muster. How long those fences and signs stay up is anyone's guess.
 

Doug Briggs

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CO is pretty loosey-goosey with mines. I've seen many shafts and adits that are in no way signed, fenced or grated.
 

Daniel

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Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Photo taken from the summit of Honeycomb Peak on Fantasy Ridge at Solitude Mountain Resort of upper LCC. All five of the lodges at Alta can be seen from this vantage point. From closest to farthest: Snowpine, Rustler, Alta Lodge, Goldminer's Daughter, and Peruvian.

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Looking west at the terrain along Cottonwood Ridge that I'll be hiking through on my way to Cardiff Pass once I descend from Honeycomb Cliffs.

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Solitude Patrol has strung and anchored numerous steel cables across the start zones of various avalanche paths along Fantasy Ridge. Hand charges attached to cord are thrown over each cable and positioned optimally in a way to put an air shock into the snowpack during control work. This particular cable features an upside down ski pole and some twisted polypro rope.

Here's a link to a Ski Utah video featuring Solitude patrollers performing avalanche mitigation work on Fantasy Ridge:

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Looking down into Honeycomb Canyon from Fantasy Ridge:

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Solitude's new RACS (Remote Avalanche Control System) tower positioned above the Boundary Chutes ski terrain in Honeycomb Canyon:

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From directly above the Prince of Wales mine, looking back at the Fantasy Ridge terrain I've travelled through. The Summit Express chairlift upper station can be seen on the far left-hand side of photo.
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teejaywhy

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From Jenny Lake overlook, northwest of @teejaywhy's pic on a cloudier day.

Our four days in the Grand Teton NP were cloudy and rainy. Departure day dawned clear and sunny and I was able to catch the photo posted on the way out.

RE: Jenny Lake. We did the 8-mile round trip hike from Jenny Lake visitor's center to Hidden Falls/Inspiration Point. On the way, you pass a place called Moose Pond. Guess what? As advertised, there was a moose!

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Daniel

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Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Leaving the Prince of Wales mine, I hiked the Silver Fork trail to its intersection with the Cottonwood Ridge trail and headed west. Several ascents and descents brought me to the high point of Davenport Hill. An old Elan ski wedged tightly between branches of a ground-hugging conifer marks the summit.
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Alta's Albion Basin, as seen from Cottonwood Ridge.

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Further along the ridgeline across the canyon road from Alta, I came across a rescue sled staged by Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. It was secured to a tree by chains and rope.

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Alta's Collins Gulch from Cottonwood Ridge. All along both sides of the section of Cottonwood Ridge I was hiking is popular ski/snowboard terrain for backcountry skiers/riders. I counted 7 Swiss Wyssen RACS (Remote Avalanche Control System) towers between lower Grizzley Gulch and Cardiff Pass, all on the south-facing side to protect LCC road, homes, and Alta base facilities.

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Alta's Collins Gulch and Snowbird's Peruvian Gulch from Cottonwood Ridge, with another Wasatch Backcountry Rescue rescue sled lined up with the ridgeline separating the two.

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A photo taken from the summit of Flagstaff Mountain of a view of a small portion of the Great Salt Lake.

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Doug Briggs

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View attachment 179141
My son and I took a walk at the campground where we have a permanent site. I'm in hopes I can time it right to get a nice fall shot in the same location.
Don't leave until you get your shot. (Poor) pun unintended.

Isn't that the location of one of the Microsoft images they rotate through your lock screen? Not the image, but the place.

Regardless, it is an idyllic location. I can't wait to see it in full colors.
 

Cameron

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Mar 1, 2016
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Southwest Ohio
Don't leave until you get your shot. (Poor) pun unintended.

Isn't that the location of one of the Microsoft images they rotate through your lock screen? Not the image, but the place.

Regardless, it is an idyllic location. I can't wait to see it in full colors.
It was taken just below the spill way from the lake at Long's Retreat in Latham, OH. I might have to dust off my DSLR and go for a hike in a couple of weeks.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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If you have to get up early and go to the dentist you might as well be rewarded with an amazing sunrise. Unfortunately since I was driving I had to take the pictures at the stop light. What is sad is so many people probably just going wherever they were going and didn't even take notice.
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